The world's ocean levels are declining at an unprecedented rate, notes the International Conservation Union (IUCN) in a new report. The development is being driven by climate change, and IUCN therefore hopes that the report will help to focus on the world ocean during the ongoing climate summit in Madrid.

“Our seas have not received the attention it deserves. The oceans generate over half of the oxygen we breathe, ”writes Climate and Environment Minister Isabella Lövin (MP) in the report's foreword.

The fishing industry is in danger

Thus, by the year 2100, IUCN expects that the world seas will have lost between 3 and 4 percent of their oxygen reserves. The greatest loss of oxygen is expected to affect marine life between the sea surface and 1,000 meters depth, the part of the sea where biodiversity is greatest.

The ongoing oxygen drainage interferes with fish species and ecosystems and beds for "dead zones", which also presents major challenges for the fish industry, including in the Baltic Sea and thus Sweden.

"In the long run, it is about the survival of the fishing industry, and sustainable fishing is only possible if climate summits in Madrid lead to concrete changes," says Linnéa Engström of the Marine Stewardship Council, an international organization working on ecolabelling of seafood.

Especially threatened

Since the middle of the 20th century, the world's ocean levels have already decreased by between 1 and 2 percent, which coincides with eutrophication along coastal areas worldwide. Two species identified in the IUCN report that are particularly threatened are swordfish and tuna, both predatory fish, which are particularly sensitive to their energy needs.

The IUCN also points out that the problem is global and affects almost all coastal areas worldwide.

- We talk a lot about the plastic in the ocean, but soon we must also start talking about emissions from agriculture and industries, says Linnéa Engström to TT.